Walking the Path
by AthanMortis
Summary: Hyoudou Issei disappeared one summer day before his second year of highschool. Then he returned months later, wounded, scarred, and... changed. The devils of Kuoh will soon learn more about this strange human, and the path he walks. Will they join him?
1. Mysteries

Rias Gremory, High-Class devil and person in charge of the administration of Kuoh Town sighed as she set her pen down, finally finished with the paperwork she had to do as overseer of the city. She reached back and rubbed the back of her neck with a soft groan as she relaxed.

She was alone in the old school building that was the base of the Occult Research Club. If you didn't count Gasper in his sealed room, at least. Everybody else was out fulfilling contracts, leaving her to do her own work with some tea Akeno had left her, which had unfortunately gone cold.

She looked out the window and blinked, surprised by how early it was. She thought she'd spent more time on the paperwork than she actually had, but it was only just getting to be time for the school clubs of Kuoh Academy to finish their activities for the day.

Getting up in order to stretch her legs she made her way to the window, pushing it open so she could look out over the school grounds that were visible from her position, absently brushing some of her long crimson hair out of her eyes. Taking a deep breath she enjoyed the clear air and the light breeze. Gazing around her blue eyes stopped when they caught sight of somebody seated under a tree nearby, apparently wanting the relative solitude that came from being this far from the main school area. One of Rias' eyebrows rose when she realized it was Hyoudou Issei.

Gaining a reputation during his first year at Kuoh Academy as a member of the Perverted Trio, the three most unrepentantly lecherous male members of the student body, the boy had always amused Rias with his antics. She found his honesty with his desires refreshing. It wasn't as though nearly everybody else in the student body didn't have the same sorts of urges, after all. Rias wasn't ashamed to admit she found more than a few of the staff and students of Kuoh attractive, even if she'd personally be unlikely to act on those impulses, for multiple reasons. And seeing the three get chased around campus by enraged students they'd been peeping on was entertaining.

Of course, things had changed once the summer break came around.

One day shortly after the end of the school year Hyoudou Issei simply seemed to vanish from the face of the earth. One night he had gone out with his friends, but he never arrived back home. The police had been called in short order, quickly beginning to investigate. Kuoh Town was a relatively quiet city, thanks in part due to the efforts of Rias and her friend/rival/coruler Sona's peerages, but that didn't mean the police force wasn't competent. They had begun searching within hours of Issei's disappearance, with no luck. They were only able to ascertain a last known location after talking to the other members of the trio, Matsuda and Motohama, which was a store that specialized adult doujinshi and eroge. After that the trail went cold.

Rias and Sona performed their own investigation, of course. Not only was there the possibility of something of the supernatural variety being involved, but Sona took her responsibilities as Student Council President extremely seriously. Unfortunately they didn't end up having much more luck than the police, not finding hide nor hair of Issei.

It had been an extremely harrowing time for the elder Hyoudous. Their precious son had disappeared, and nobody could tell them why or how. Anybody who saw them could read the stress that lined their faces, both of them spending quite a bit of time at one of the shrines that called Kuoh home. Unfortunately, as the days passed, it seemed as though they would be doomed to never know what became of their only child.

Then, out of nowhere, a week before the new school term was about to begin, a frantic 110 call led to his discovery in a random alley in town. According to the police and medical reports Rias and Sona had been able to get their hands on after the fact, Issei had been an absolute mess. When first responders arrived they thought he'd been dunked in red paint, he was covered in so much blood. Ninety percent of his body was covered in either wounds of various sizes and shapes, or extensive scarring indication previous, now healed over injuries from things such as blades, gunshots, animal fangs and claws. To say it was a miracle he was alive was a severe understatement.

Rias and Sona had surreptitiously visited his hospital room once he was determined to be in stable condition in order to see if they could find out anything the more mundane authorities wouldn't be able to. Unfortunately they were unable to determine anything overtly supernatural about his condition, though there were a few things that stood out.

First of all, as would be noted in the medical report, the scarring seemed to be older and more healed than it should be. He had only been gone a little over a couple of months, and many of the scars appeared to be older than that.

Second, and possibly related, Issei was in better physical shape than would be expected. Under the scars and wounds he was well muscled and toned, not like a body builder, more like a mixed martial arts fighter. Like somebody that trained their entire body in combat. But, again, not enough time had passed to allow for his physique considering his former, somewhat average level of physical fitness.

Third, he was healing too fast. Not at an absurd rate like something out of an anime, but his wounds were definitely closing a bit faster than they should, even if he'd still be in the hospital for weeks. Yet another mystery to add to the growing pile.

When Issei woke up it was to joyous parents and confused police. He was questioned extensively, but he professed to not remember anything about the time he was missing, nor about how he'd gotten so horrifically injured. Eventually the police gave up on getting anything out of him, but this strengthened two devils' belief that something supernatural had occurred to Hyoudou. Only magic would be able to so completely erase memories like that. If he was telling the truth, that is. They would later find reasons to believe he wasn't.

When Issei had finally returned to school it had been to mixed reactions. Despite his previous reputation people were glad that he was alive, several saying so outright to him when he arrived. On the other hand, the Japanese people were not culturally accepting of scars in general, and Issei's visage was not as inviting now. He had several large scars on his face, including one that looked like whatever made it had almost taken his left eye, and another long one reaching most of the way from his right ear to the corner of his mouth.

When he'd first walked through the school gates Rias and Sona had been there to greet him. Sona in her position as Kaichou of the school, Rias as a concerned senpai. Both had been struck by the difference in his attitude from the way he was previously.

Both girls were highly attractive, if in different ways, and they knew it. But whereas the old Issei probably would have been nervous talking to some of the most popular girls in school, if he could focus on what they said instead of on Rias' rather large bust, this new Issei glanced at her breasts for a moment before focusing on the conversation at hand and speaking to them in a calm and friendly manner, a small smile on his lips.

The conversation was basic, the two girls offering their support to help Issei adjust to being back, with Sona also informing him that she'd see to it that any medical necessities he had were catered to, within reason. He'd thanked them and told them he'd let them know if anything came up before he made his way to class with only another brief glance at their chests as he left.

Since then Rias had kept an eye on him using her bat familiar. However nothing much seemed to happen for the next few weeks. He hung out with his friends, spent time with his understandably protective parents, occasionally went to the adult store the police had traced his steps to before, and otherwise lived normally.

In fact, the biggest change so far was the fact that he'd stopped peeping with the other members of the perverted trio, much to the relief of the female segment of the school population. He was definitely still interested in the female form, but it was as though he didn't feel the need to peep anymore. She'd almost believe that he'd found himself a girlfriend that would cater to his desires, but she hadn't seen any evidence of that.

Of course, things had changed when it came to her estimation of him upon Koneko's report on what had happened during the afternoon two days before…

* * *

_Toujou Koneko walked home after stopping at a sweets shop to buy herself some treats. She'd just finished her day's duties and was looking forward to some quiet time curled up on her favorite armchair, enjoying her purchases._

_It was as the loli was walking by an alley near the shop she'd just left that she heard someone talk to her. "Hey there, girly. What's a cute little thing like you doing around here?"_

_The white haired girl glanced into the alley, wondering who had used such a pathetically cliche line. She saw that it was a group of stereotypical delinquents, probably third years in highschool, going by their non-Kuoh Academy uniforms._

_Determining that they weren't a threat, or even interesting, Koneko decided to ignore them and continue on her way. Unfortunately, displaying the intelligence one would expect of them, the toughs moved closer, one of them grabbing her and dragging her into the alley, much to her annoyance._

"_Hey, we were talking to you." The delinquent leader said with an unpleasant smirk on his face, a hand on her shoulder. "No need for you to leave when you could have some fun with us." When the girl didn't say anything, simply staring at him flatly, he seemed to take that as her being too intimidated to speak. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you. Too much, that is…" As his underlings chuckled and Koneko's frown grew he took the paper bag from her hands. "What's this? Got enough to share, girlie?"_

_Koneko was already pretty irritated, but having her sweets taken was enough to break her self control. She was about to pick the irritating little bastard up and turn him into a pretzel, laying low be damned, when a new voice interrupted the impending violence. "What are you jackasses doing with my kouhai?"_

_All seven people in the alley turned to look at who had spoken, momentarily distracted. At the mouth of the alley stood Hyoudou Issei, looking suitably intimidating with his scarred face and hands, uniform jacket open to reveal a red t-shirt with a black tribal design of a western broadsword that hid packed muscle._

_One of the delinquents, a particularly large and stupid looking one, moved to intercept. "Stay outta this, kid." He rumbled. "We're just going to have some fun with the girl."_

_Issei's eyes darkened. "Oh, I see. In that case…" Without warning his leg shot up between the older boy's legs, who's eyes bulged open, a strangled wheeze escaping him as he unceremoniously dropped to the floor in a fetal position, clutching at his family jewels._

"_Yama!" One of the others cried as he saw what happened. "You're going to pay for that, you fucking punk!" He shouted, grabbing a rusty pipe from a pile of remains from a renovation nearby and stalking forward. He swung down at Issei's head, but the other boy sidestepped, letting the pipe move harmlessly beside him. The delinquent blinked in confusion, apparently having expected Issei to stay still and let his skull get cracked._

_The scarred young man reached down and grabbed the pipe with both hands, wrenching it from his assailant's grip, before bringing it around to strike the boy's stomach after a brief moment to adjust his hold, making the delinquent lose his breath with a cough. Then he grabbed the side of his head and drove it into the brick wall, making the wannabe gangster drop to the ground, concussed._

"_Next." Issei said blandly as he watched the other four delinquents glance at each other, the leader having let Koneko go. The loli had retrieved her sweets and stepped back, watching intently so she could report what she saw to her King._

_The leader looked at his subordinates before pointing at Issei angrily. "Get the bastard!" The other three boys each grabbed a weapon from the pile before advancing, though one slipped on some brass knuckles, their faces angry over the defeat of their comrades._

_One armed a two by four rushed Issei with a roar he apparently thought was intimidating. Issei disagreed, as without flinching he took two steps forward into the other boy's reach and swung the pipe still in his hand at his attacker's leg. The wood wielder yelped and stumbled, Issei helping him along by moving to the side and tripping him with a foot, sending him to the ground._

_Before Issei could take advantage of two by four being down the one with the brass knuckles got into range to start punching. Issei turned and deflected the first punch with a move Koneko recognized as that of someone proficient in martial arts, brushing it aside with almost contemptuous ease. The next punch he dodged entirely, the fist missing his cheek by an inch. Now that the puncher was open Issei threw his own much like a boxer would, slamming the heavy blows right into the thug's solar plexus. The brawler stumbled back, wheezing, but he didn't get to recover before Issei slammed an uppercut into his chin. The battered boy dropped, instantly unconscious._

_Two by four had recovered by now, standing up with plank of wood in hand. The last of the underlings, a boy with a shaved head and a heavy chain as a weapon, stood at Issei's other side, so that he was surrounded. He glanced from one to the other, eyes narrowed and body ready to move. Then the two toughs charged at him simultaneously, yelling at the top of their lungs._

_Issei rolled his eyes before stepping towards wood plank, reaching up as the older boy swung the board down, the wood slapping into his palm. He used his grip to turn and dodge behind his assailant, smacking his backside with the pipe still in his hand, making him once again stumble forward. Of course, unlike last time, this time one of his comrades was swinging a chain at head height. He didn't stand a chance, joining his comrades on the ground in short order._

_Chains stopped, shocked at what he'd just done. He didn't notice Issei throw his pipe at his face till after it had already impacted with a crunch, prompting him to join the rest of the delinquents on the floor, moaning in pain and out of the fight, leaving only the boss._

_Issei slowly turned to said boss, cracking his neck as he calmly began walking. Shaken, the leader of the thugs stepped back before scrambling to pull a switchblade out of his pocket. "S-stay back!" He barked, a tremor in his voice. "Don't you fucking come near me, you son of a bitch!"_

_Issei ignored him, walking closer till he was only barely out of striking range. His brown eyes bored into the shaking hooligan, his scarred visage adding to the intimidation factor considerably. "Let my kouhai go, and you remain conscious. Capice?"_

_The boy glanced from Issei, to his defeated underlings, to Koneko, and back. "Fine!" He whined. "Take the little bitch. She's not worth the trouble."_

_Nodding Issei motioned to Koneko, who quickly stepped forward beside him. Her senpai turned and began to walk out of the alley, the small girl following, but he paused, turning his head to glare at the last delinquent standing. "Let me make myself abundantly clear. I ever hear of you harassing a girl, any girl, again, I'll come back and make sure all of your hospital stays are… extensive…" When the shaking boy nodded frantically he smiled with satisfaction before continuing to make his way out._

_Issei waited till they were a couple of blocks from the alley before turning to Koneko. "Are you alright, Toujou-chan?"_

"_...Hai, senpai…" Koneko said softly in her customary soft monotone. "Thank you for your help."_

_Issei patted her head, which Koneko allowed. "That's good. If anybody like that bothers you again let me know and I'll take care of it." When the loli nodded he stretched, popping his back. "Alright, head on home then. I'll see you at school." Turning he began to leave. "Bye!"_

_Koneko waved lightly as he left before turning to begin walking away. But instead of heading home she made her way back to school, knowing her King would want to hear about what had just happened._

* * *

There was definitely more to Issei than met the eye, considering what Koneko had told Rias. She'd made him out to be very competent and skilled, seemingly dealing with the delinquents without really trying. It made the crimson haired devil wonder how good he'd be in a real fight, and what his capabilities would be as, say, a rook.

As she watched Issei shifted and stretched, yawning before standing up, twisting to get the kinks out. Then he looked over in her direction, his eyes landing on her before he smiled, raising a hand in greeting.

Rias smiled warmly as well, waving back. When he left after a quick nod she closed the window and moved back to her seat.

She hoped she'd be able to learn more about Issei soon. The mystery of it all was getting to her, and she was definitely intrigued. She wondered just what the answers would end up being. And a small, treacherous part of her wondered how she'd be able to use it to her advantage against a certain puffed up peacock.

* * *

Issei smiled as he headed up to his room after dinner with his parents. The two were still so protective of him, eager to have him nearby at all times. Not that he could really blame him. He had given them quite a scare.

As he walked into his room, shutting the door behind him, the girl sitting on his bed reading a manga spoke, her voice high pitched yet pleasant. "Boss, I know you want us to lay low until we've determined who's watching us with that little bat thing outside, but I'm bored out of my freaking skull! Yeah, I have plenty of games to play and anime to watch, but I miss being outside."

Issei waited till after he'd removed his coat before responding. "Shouldn't be long now, Bell-chan. I've narrowed it down to somebody at school. Once I have a definitive answer we'll be able to determine the best course of action."

The girl he was addressing got off the bed and flew over to hover in front of him. She was small, slightly taller than the length of his forearm, with ice blue hair styled in upwards spikes and mischievous blue eyes, wings similar to a dragonfly's, except more angular, emerging from her back. She wore a purple leotard over tight black leggings, which was itself covered by a form fitting armor plate which covered her stomach and breasts, with odd studs in the positions her nipples were. Purple boots covered her feet, while gloves of the same color came up to her upper arms, almost to her shoulders. Crystal earrings hung from her long, pointed ears and a gorget covered her neck and a bit of her upper chest.

"That better be soon, boss. Seriously, I'm going stir crazy. I'm going through your collection of stuff way too fast." She huffed before moving to sit on the edge of his desk. "Even all your eroge is losing its appeal. I never thought that would happen!"

Issei chuckled as he removed his shirt and tossed it aside, revealing his scarred and toned upper body. "Well then, perhaps you need something more physically demanding to burn some of that excess energy?" He gave her a crooked smile.

Bell grinned lecherously, eyes raking lustfully along Issei's form. "Ooh… I like the way you think, boss." She began to shed her own clothes almost frantically, and when she was finally nude, revealing pale nipples and small patch of blue pubic hair, she launched herself at him, the much larger one of the pair laughing as he caught her and held her close, his actions displaying his care for her.

"Eager, aren't you?" He said with a grin, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Shut up and get naked, boss." She ordered playfully, prompting him to laugh again and do as told before heading to bed, all thoughts of surveillance bats and potential confrontations forgotten as they lost themselves in each other.

* * *

_**Welcome to the rewrite of Dragon Walking With Demons!**_

_**I just want to say Happy Holidays to my readers, first of all. This is meant to be a present from me to those of you who have stuck with me since my first amateurish attempts at writing in the original version of this concept. Huge thanks to all of you.**_

_**I know a lot of those that read the original are probably thinking 'about fucking time, jackass'. That is completely fair.**_

_**I've only recently reached the point in the light novel where I feel comfortable restarting. I'm sure there are more retcons and revelations after the point I stopped, but I reached the volume who's events would indicate the end of this fic and the beginning of the prequel, so I figured I had what I needed. I won't say which volume that was though.**_

_**I intend for there to be some differences between this version and the old one, mainly in things that I did wrong or were unnecessary in the original.**_

_**For example, the honestly rather cringy concept of Issei being so powerful he makes devil women all lusty is gone. It didn't make sense, served no purpose, and was basically my attempts to make Issei 'cooler'. In the end it got in the way more than anything else.**_

_**I'll also try to avoid sticking to canon so closely again. Certain things need to stay the same, such as some of the overarching conflicts in certain volumes, because they're necessary for my endgame. But the details, and how they're resolved, will be different. This Issei is powerful, experienced, and has some clue what he's doing. That changes things. Especially since he doesn't need to power up using boobs. Should save Rias some embarrassment.**_

_**I'll also try to sprinkle in some original content between the events of the volumes, if they fit. Much like what you saw with the Bell and Elena centric chaps in the original.**_

_**I think that's all I have to say at the moment, so I'll take this moment to state that you can have a say in what I write if you donate to my Pat A Ron. Each dollar you donate equals a vote in my monthly poll of fics to update, and this story will be added to next month's so you can vote for it if you want to see it get updated soon. So that's at Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis.**_

_**Till next time, thank you for reading, please review, and Happy Holidays.**_


	2. Presentations

It was a normal day after school at Kuoh Academy. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and Hyoudou Issei was relaxing on a small hill as he watched the school track team train below. A smile was fixed on his scarred face as he watched the girls stretch and run, their tight shorts and shirts doing little to hide their bodies.

"Oi, Ise!" He heard someone call from the base of the hill. He turned to find his two friends and fellow perverts, Matsuda and Motohama, making their way to him. The two looked down at the track field, taking in the sight of the beauties below, before turning their attention back to Issei. "Wanna come over to my place and play the new eroge in the 'Big Bouncy Hospital' series? I just got it yesterday." Motohama said with a smile.

Issei shook his head as he continued watching the girls practice. "No thanks. I've kind of lost interest in eroge."

The other two members of the perverted trio seemed shocked to their cores. They looked at Issei as though they'd never seen him before. "W-what?" Matsuda stuttered. "Why would you possibly say such a thing?"

Then Motohama gasped, making his two friends turn to him in confusion. "What's wrong?" Issei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You got yourself a girlfriend!" The glasses wearing boy accused, pointing a finger at the other boy.

Matsuda's head whipped around to stare at Issei in shock. "What the-? Is that true, Ise?"

Issei scratched his cheek thoughtfully, debating his answer, before shrugging, seeing no real reason to lie. "Yeah."

His friends stared at him, gaping in sheer astonishment with their jaws practically on the floor. Issei waited for a minute or so for some sort of reaction before shrugging again and getting up, brushing himself off before leaving them to their shock as he headed home.

The two perverts wouldn't be moving for quite some time.

* * *

When Issei got home he walked into his room to find Bell dancing on his desk to his Spotify playlist, singing along with the music as she twisted and girated her body with a wide smile on her face, the sheen of sweat covering her telling him that she'd been at it for a while. Something easily noticeable due to the fact that she was dancing while completely nude. He stopped and watched, a smile on his face, before speaking. "Bell-chan, what are you doing?"

"Getting a good workout in, boss." She said as she bent over double, head practically touching the desk even as her legs remained perfectly straight, giving him an excellent view of her backside. "I'm going crazy with cabin fever, and I haven't been able to get any actual exercise either, so I figured I'd take up dancing." She resumed twisting and gyrating along to the music, showing off her flexibility in a way obviously meant to entice him.

He smiled at her even as he eyed her body appreciatively. "I promise you'll get to go out soon, Bell. You and the others. If the owner of the bat that's watching us doesn't either introduce themselves or call their familiar back within the next few days I'll stop playing the passive game and take matters into my own hands."

The fairy stopped dancing as the current song she'd been listening to finished before grabbing what would be a hand towel to a human and drying herself with it. "Promise?"

"I promise, Bell-chan." He said seriously, though he still had a small smile on his face as he sat on his bed, grabbing the latest issue of Dragon Ball Super he'd been reading so he could continue.

Bell flew over to him without bothering to dress, curling up onto his lap, her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sound of his strong heartbeat as he began to absently caress her body while he read, the two relaxing together.

It was moments like these that they both lived for, and they'd long ago learned to savor them whenever they could. You never knew when they might be interrupted, after all.

* * *

The next day at school Issei was accosted by Matsuda and Motohama as soon as he stepped into his classroom. Apparently they'd managed to get over their shock at some point the previous day, though the disbelief was still there, as was obvious by their first words.

"Y-you were joking, right, Ise?" The Perverted Baldy asked, looking like he desperately hoped the previous day was a bad dream.

"Yeah!" Motohama added. "There's no way you could really have a girlfriend before us!"

At that the noise in the classroom vanished like it had never existed, every head turning to stare in Issei's direction, unable to believe what they'd just heard. Then they began talking amongst themselves again, this time with a different topic thanks to Motohama's words.

"Hyoudou has a girlfriend?"

"That's not possible."

"He's lying, right?"

"You think he might have done something to some innocent girl?"

"What, like blackmail? T-that's a bit much, don't you think?"

Issei's eyebrow twitched as he listened to his classmates' increasingly harsh speculation. He knew he didn't have the best reputation, but really?

Kiryuu Aika sauntered over, an eyebrow raised as she looked at Issei. "What's this about you having a girlfriend, Hyoudou?"

Issei sighed in irritation. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

The loud and resounding "YES" from almost everyone in the class irritated him quite a bit. Aika was the only one that didn't answer in the affirmative. Instead she adjusted her glasses and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Well, not as hard to believe as it used to be. You're still a pervert, but you've calmed down a lot. And there are definitely girls who would like the 'scarred warrior' look." Then she gave a lascivious smirk. "Besides, what you're packing in your pants doesn't hurt."

Everyone in the school knew about the perverted girl's purported ability to tell the size of a boy's manhood with a look, so nobody was surprised by her words. Matsuda and Motohama were quite indignant, however. "There's no way he's better than me!" They both declared thoughtlessly.

Aika's glasses seemed to flash as her golden eyes gave them a _look_ that made them cringe and try to cover their crotches, though Issei simply looked amused. When she turned her gaze to him, studying his lower body he simply stood proudly with his arms crossed, waiting for her to finish her inspection.

Satisfied with the results of her investigation, Aika turned back to the two perverts, still smirking. "Unlike _certain people_ I could mention, no girl will be disappointed by what Hyoudou's got."

As the two boys cringed two other girls approached, eying the perverted boys distastefully. "Let's get back on track." Katase of the Kendo Club said, her friend and fellow club member Murayama standing behind her with her arms crossed. "I won't believe Hyoudou has a girlfriend till I see some proof."

As everyone looked at him expectantly Issei sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket, bringing up his pictures. Once he'd found the one he was looking for he showed it to the people arrayed around him, all of them leaning forward to get a good look.

It was a picture of a nude, or at least topless, Bell, who was smiling radiantly for the camera. It had been taken to show only her upper chest, shoulders and head, since any more would reveal her wings. Her hair was down in order to obscure her pointed ears so she could pass off as human. The picture was also carefully taken to obfuscate any sense of scale between her and her surroundings, so the observer couldn't tell her actual size.

The three perverts and the kendo duo looked shocked at the sight of the beautiful woman in the picture. "Y-you got this picture off the internet." Murayama refuted weakly.

Motohama shook his head in a daze. "No, that's Issei's room in the background. And it doesn't have any signs of photoshop…"

"She looks so happy…" Katase said, honestly surprised.

Issei turned the phone so he could look at the picture as well, a small, loving smile on his face that surprised those watching him. He'd taken the picture that morning, and the sight of the beautiful smile on Bell's face still made him happy for having been the one to cause it. Right before he'd taken the picture she'd asked why he wanted it, and he'd said he wanted to be able to show off one of the amazing women he loved. The joy that radiated from her smile at those words was breathtaking, and made her ten times more beautiful, at least in his opinion.

"What's her name?" Aika asked curiously and slightly subdued, surprised by the obvious adoration in his gaze.

"...Bell." He said gently as he looked at the picture. "Her name is Bell."

Of course, after a few seconds the moment was promptly ruined by Matsuda and Motohama, who launched themselves at him and grabbed him by his uniform jacket. "Ise, you bastard! How!? How did you get such an absolute hottie!? And where can we get one?"

Having almost dropped his phone when the two idiots shook him he put it back in his pocket and forced them off of him. "Believe it or not, I was just myself. As for where you can find a girl like her…" He smiled at them in amusement. "You'll need to wait for the world to end first."

As the two perverts began to cuss him out the bell rang as their teacher walked in. "Alright boys, break it up. I have a surprise for you." Everyone looked at her in curiosity and more than a bit of apprehension. "Pop quiz!"

The unwelcome news completely removed the previous topic of conversation from everyone's mind as they groaned in despair. Issei let out a sigh of relief before heading for his seat.

* * *

As the day ended Issei made his way to his locker, eager to make his way home and relax. The news that he had a girlfriend had spread throughout the school, and people had constantly approached him to see if he was lying. He'd had to show off Bell's picture more often than he'd expected, not that he minded that too much. Even Himejima Akeno had approached him in interest, though she'd at least been courteous enough not to show mocking disbelief at the idea of him having someone to care for. Still, everyone else's obvious denial was grating on his nerves.

Opening his locker and ignoring the looks of the people around him he was surprised when a white and pink envelope fluttered out, his hand quickly moving to catch it before it hit the floor. A hush spread through the gathered students at the sight, shock rendering them silent.

"Is that what I think it is?" Motohama asked in disbelief from where he'd been opening his own locker.

Issei studied the envelope, looking for any clue as to who sent it despite knowing better. He could smell a faint aroma of perfume on it, but nothing else. Opening it he pulled the letter out and read it to himself, keeping it from being visible to the curious eyes of the onlookers. Once he'd read through it twice he slipped it back into the envelope and then into his bag before continuing to prepare himself to head home.

Matsuda apparently couldn't take the suspense anymore after having walked over from his own locker in curiosity. "Ise, answer already! Was that really a love letter?"

Issei shut his locker and picked up his bag before beginning to walk out of the school. As he reached the door he paused and turned his head to smirk at his friends. "Yes it was." Then he laughed lightly as pandemonium erupted behind him, led by the two perverts lamenting their own luck and cursing him out vigorously and accompanied by the exclamations of shock and surprise by the other students.

* * *

"A love letter, eh?" Bell asked in interest as she studied said letter, a smile on her face. Reading through it and finding it somewhat minimalist, mostly just saying the girl admired him greatly and wanted to meet him someplace quiet to see if she could become his girlfriend. "You recognize the name? Amano Yuuma?"

"No." Issei said as he got dressed in some nice clothes. "That doesn't mean much though. Kuoh Academy has a lot of students I've never met. And it could also be someone from another school that got the letter to me through a friend in school."

"Well, I hope she's cute." Bell said brightly. "Only the best for my boss, after all!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Bell-chan." Issei said as he finished dressing. "We don't know if she'll be a good fit for us right now."

"Maybe, but I can still hope." Bell said. Then she spoke a bit more gently. "You need to start moving on from Isa-chan, boss, no matter how hard that might be."

Issei stood silently for a moment, staring at himself in the mirror. "It's only been a few months, Bell…"

Bell flitted over to him and took a seat on his shoulder, resting the side of her head against his. "I know, Ise. But she wouldn't want you to mope. I've done the best I can, but I'm only one girl, especially since you're not letting the others out." She kissed his cheek. "Just… open yourself up to the possibility, like you have before."

Issei sighed softly before nodding. "Alright Bell…" Then he checked his clock for the time. "I should get going. Don't want to keep her waiting."

Bell got off his shoulder and moved back to the bed to pick up the phone he'd bought her so she could continue playing the mobile game she'd been focused on before he'd returned home. "Alright boss. Have a good time. I need to collect more waifus as well." She said with a laugh.

Issei rolled his eyes as he turned to leave. "Don't spend all my money on the gacha." He admonished her, receiving a dismissive wave in return. Chuckling to himself he headed out, interested in what this Amano Yuuma was like.

* * *

Akeno served her King some tea as the Occult Research Club sat in their office, relaxing for a bit after school before they headed out to do their normal work.

Kiba was on one of the couches with a book in his hand, reading absently, while Koneko sat on the other side of the coffee table, indulging in some of the sweets she'd procured.

Rias, for her part, brought a hand up to her neck to massage it lightly. "Anything of interest happen today?" She asked her subordinates. She hadn't really been paying attention to the goings on in the school due to a certain issue involving a pompous, self important asshole, so she was curious.

"Two things, both involving Hyoudou Issei." Akeno said as she set some cookies in front of Rias, who gratefully took one to go with her tea. "The first is the revelation that he has a very pretty girlfriend."

Rias looked at her Queen with interest. "Really? How do you know?"

"Apparently it came out during class today." The Yamato Nadeshiko said. "He has a picture of the girl on his phone, and it doesn't seem to be a fake. I studied the picture myself out of curiosity. She's quite a looker."

"I see." Rias said after a sip of her tea. "And the other bit of news regarding him that you mentioned?"

"He received a love letter in his locker today." Akeno said with an amused smile on her face. "It was quite a shock to the student populace to not only find out he'd managed to find himself a girl but also get a love letter from another the same day."

Rias smiled as well at the thought. "Well, good for him then. As long as he treats them right I have no issue with him starting his desired harem." After a moment's thought she sat back against her chair. "I am curious, though. My familiar is still watching him. Perhaps I should take a look to see how it goes?" She closed her eyes and relaxed as she focused on her familiar.

Seeing through a familiar's eyes was an advanced skill Rias had only recently acquired, and even then it was not perfect. It took a decent amount of concentration, especially without some sort of external focus, and doing it too long left her with a headache. She still did so every once in a while, wanting to keep tabs on Issei and see for herself if there was anything special about him without needing to wait for her bat to report back to her.

As she focused the scene in front of her familiar came into focus, showing a well dressed Issei walking into a small park where a pretty teenage girl stood next to the fountain. She wore the uniform of another of the city's schools, and she looked nervous, fidgeting lightly as she watched Issei approach.

Issei, for his part, appeared to be relaxed as he approached the girl, his hands in his pockets and a small, reassuring smile on his face. "Hello. Are you Amano Yuuma-san?"

The girl nodded quickly and nervously. "Y-yes, Hyoudou-kun. I'm glad you agreed to meet with me."

"Well, I couldn't just ignore your request after you went through all the trouble of getting that letter to me." He said gently.

Yuuma smiled nervously but nodded. "Thank you. Like I said in the letter, I've heard a lot about you, and I think you're really handsome, so I was wondering if you'd like to maybe be my boyfriend?" She asked hopefully.

"I don't mind seeing if that's a possibility, but I'd rather we got to know each other before jumping right into it first." He said, much to the surprise of the watching Rias.

Yuuma looked surprised as well, obviously having expected him to jump at the chance. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for the opportunity." She said, bowing slightly. "Could I just make one request first, Hyoudou-kun?"

"What would that be?" Issei asked with a smile.

Yuuma straightened up and smiled at him. There was something wrong with that smile, however, something which was emphasized by the spear of light that appeared in her hand. "Would you please die for me?" Then she threw the spear at Issei at blinding speeds.

Rias was sure, through the surprise she felt at the abrupt attack, that she was about to see Issei die, but to her greater shock the boy's face hardened and he dodged the spear by what seemed like millimeters before turning to glare at Yuuma, who looked just as surprised as Rias felt.

Abruptly Yuuma's form began to shift, her hair lengthening, her clothes disappearing into something more fit for a strip club, and her body becoming more voluptuous, after which two pitch black wings emerged from her back.

The newly revealed fallen angel sneered at the boy in front of her, who was bent slightly as he watched his attacker intently, ready to dodge the next attack. "Well then, seems you're not completely worthless, human."

"Why are you attacking me?" Issei asked with a scowl.

"Why would I explain myself to the likes of you?" She asked as her sneer widened. "Still, if you need someone to blame, blame the God of the BIble for being foolish enough to give you a sacred gear." Then she generated another spear and tossed it with even more speed, prompting Issei to dodge again.

Rias came back to herself with a gasp, quickly jumping to her feet, surprising her peerage and knocking her tea over, not that she cared at the moment. "A fallen is attacking Hyoudou-kun!" She said quickly before making her way to the transportation circle in the corner of the room.

Her subordinates quickly followed her, Akeno looking especially thunderous once she got over her brief surprise, and within seconds they were all teleported to the park Issei was in.

When they arrived they found the park much the worse for wear, the fallen still launching spears of light at the continuously dodging Issei.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Rias called, causing the fallen to stop her actions and turn to glare at the new arrivals, who were spreading out, ready to attack at the slightest hint of further aggression.

"Tch, it figures you devils would interfere somehow." The fallen moved back before turning her gaze to Issei. "You got lucky, human, but don't think it'll last. They can't defend you forever." Then she teleported away without another word.

Once the danger had passed Issei straightened up and glanced down at his now damaged clothing with a sigh before turning to the devils. "This is a surprise. I guess I finally know who the bat belongs to, then."

Rias' eyes widened in surprise. "You knew my familiar was following you?"

Issei nodded placidly, though his eyes were sharp and studying them in case of any trouble. "Pretty much as soon as it first appeared. I can understand wanting to keep an eye on me considering what happened, but it has gotten pretty irritating. I would have preferred if you had simply approached me normally."

Rias flushed even as Akeno began repairing the area. "I apologize, but we needed to find out if there was anything supernatural about you. I would say you could have approached me first to clear things up, but from your words I'm assuming you didn't know you could."

"You're right, I didn't. I only know about the supernatural in generalities, not specifics." Issei explained. "I didn't know who might be the one watching me, or in charge of the area. I have very little useful information."

"Well then, it seems we might be in a position to assist each other." Rias said with a smile. "I want more information on you, along with what you know about what just happened, and I can give you the information you need to navigate the supernatural world."

Issei thought it over before nodding slowly. "That sounds good. Not right now, though. I'd rather go home and relax after what just happened."

"Understandable." Rias agreed with a nod. "Tomorrow after school at the old school building?"

Issei nodded. "Very well. Do you mind if I bring somebody with me? They know about the supernatural too."

Rias eyed him before nodding. "I don't see a problem with it. I'm sure you'll feel better if you have somebody to back you up, no matter how benign I assure you my intentions are. What just happened would make me careful as well."

Issei smiled. "I appreciate your understanding. I'll see you tomorrow then. Thanks again for the assist." With a quick bow he turned and left, heading home.

Kiba waited for Issei to be out of earshot before speaking to his King. "He's obviously not a normal human, considering the fact that he was able to dodge all of the fallen's attacks with only some clothing damage. Not to mention he seemed to be so calm despite having just been attacked. It's like he's used to it. He could be dangerous."

"All the more reason to get in his good graces, Yuuto-kun." Rias said as she gazed thoughtfully after Issei. "Hopefully we can find out more about his capabilities. At the very least he might be a useful ally."

"Hoping to get him into your peerage, Buchou? He might make a good Knight." Akeno said with a smile once she finished repairing the park.

"It's a possibility." Rias admitted. "I'd want to know more about him before I make a decision, however. Unlike you all, he isn't in need of an evil piece for protection or healing, so I'd rather not waste it on someone that might not be worth the investment if it isn't necessary." She turned to look at her last peerage member present. "What do you think, Koneko-chan?"

The white haired loli tilted her head. "...Hiding a lot. Dangerous."

Rias nodded in agreement. "Well, we'll find out soon enough. Let's go back. I need to inform Sona of what just happened."

* * *

"She did WHAT!?" Bell screeched after Issei finished explaining what had happened, the game she'd been playing lying forgotten. The small woman looked beyond incensed, and Issei knew from experience that she was one wrong word away from causing a lot of property damage. "How dare that bitch attack you! When I get my hands on her I'll ram a Ziodyne right up her fucking ass!"

Issei quickly moved over to her and picked her up, rubbing her back in order to calm her. "I'm fine, Bell. All she did was mess up some clothes. She caught me by surprise, yeah, but considering the abilities she showed she can't do much to me, even as I am now."

Bell growled angrily for a bit longer before sighing as her body relaxed. "Fine. You're right. Not like she can do anything to you in any case." She moved back to look him in the eye. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to punish her if I ever come across her."

"That's fine." Issei said with a nod, relieved to see that she'd calmed down. "Tomorrow we're meeting with Gremory-senpai regarding what just happened. It looks like we'll finally be getting the information we need, and hopefully permission to let you and the others out."

Bell brightened up at that. "Really?" Flying out of his grasp she began a midair happy dance. "Finally, my house arrest is almost over!"

Issei chuckled as he lay down on his bed, Bell quickly flitting down to curl up on his bare chest, a smile on his face. "I hope tomorrow goes well." She said softly. "I don't want to get caught up in another fight."

He gently caressed her nude body, paying special attention to her favorite spots. "Whatever tomorrow brings, we'll deal with it together, Bell-chan. Just like we always have."

"Yes sir." His fairy agreed.

* * *

The next afternoon after school let out the Occult Research Club was gathered in the old school building once again. This time they were accompanied by Sona and her second in command, Shinra Tsubaki, the tall vice-president standing at attention behind her King's seat as Sona drank some of Akeno's tea.

The six were waiting patiently for their guest to arrive so they could finally get some answers to questions that had been vexing them for a while. Sona was especially anxious about that, her natural curiosity and feeling of responsibility having made the situation especially vexing to her.

"He did not tell you who he would be bringing with him, Rias?" Sona asked as they waited.

The crimson haired devil shook her head. "No. Only that they also know about the supernatural. I figured it would be best to allow it in order to put him more at ease. He had just been attacked by a fallen angel, after all."

"Reasonable." Sona agreed. "At least depending on who he brings." Before she could say anything further there came a knock on the door, drawing everyone's attention to it.

"Come in!" Rias called, sitting up straighter, wanting to make a good impression, Sona doing the same.

The door opened, allowing Issei into the room. He glanced around at the occupants before fully entering, his gaze pausing on Sona and Tsubaki briefly before walking in and closing the door behind him. "Gremory-senpai." He said, nodding to Rias before turning his gaze to Sona. "Shitori-kaichou. I wasn't expecting to see you and the fuku-kaichou here as well."

Sona adjusted her glasses. "Rias informed me of what transpired and I believed it prudent to be here as well. You may not be aware, from what Rias told me, but we are joint rulers of Kuoh town, so such issues are things we should both be aware of." Then she pointedly looked behind him. "I was under the impression you were going to be bringing a companion."

Issei smiled slightly. "I did, but I had her wait outside as a precaution. Would you mind opening the window?"

The gathered devils glanced at each other, confused, before Akeno went to do so, opening the window and stepping back just in case.

They were all surprised when a fairy with spiky blue hair and odd armor floated in, quickly making her way to Issei and taking a seat on his shoulder. "Hello everybody!" She said with a smile and a wave.

Getting over her surprise Rias smiled at the fairy. "Well, this is a surprise. Hello. My name is Rias Gremory. Who might you be?"

"Hello Gremory-san. I'm Bell. I work for Ise-kun." Bell said with a smile, though none missed the way she was studying them, obviously ready for a fight.

"You're the girl in the picture Hyoudou showed everyone when he was talking about his girlfriend." Akeno said, obviously surprised as she studied the fairy back.

Bell's smile widened. "Yep, that's me! Took a bit of work to make the picture turn out well, but from what boss said, it was worth it." She kissed Issei's temple as he chuckled. "The fact that he took it after a vigorous time in bed just made it better." She added with a laugh.

"Wait, how does that work?" Kiba blurted in surprise before his face reddened as he realized what he'd just asked.

Bell gave the only boy there other than Issei a saucy smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know…?"

Sona coughed lightly, her cheeks a bit pink. "I believe we're getting off track. Hyoudou-kun, I feel I should introduce myself properly. Shitori Souna is an alias I use here at school. My actual name is Sitri Sona."

Issei raised an eyebrow as he sat down, smiling briefly at Akeno as she served him tea. "Sitri, eh? As in the Ars Goetia, like Gremory-senpai? I imagine you went with that option since you look more Japanese than her, so there's no real reason to hide her name."

Both Rias and Sona looked surprised. "You know about our families from the Ars Goetia?" Rias asked.

"Only what it says in the actual book." He said with a slight smile. Then he closed his eyes and began to recite. "Gremory is a strong Duke of Hell who governs twenty-six legions of demons. He tells all things past, present and future, about hidden treasures and procures the love of women, young and old, but especially maidens. He is depicted as appearing in the form of a beautiful woman with the crown of a duchess tied around her waist and riding a camel."

More than one of the devils who hadn't read of the Ars Goetia before looked at Rias with interest.

"What about Kaichou?" Tsubaki asked, not noticing the look of slight panic Sona sent her, nor Rias' amused smile.

"Well…" Issei closed his eyes again in order to remember what the book said. "Sitri is a Great Prince of Hell, reigning over sixty legions of demons. He causes men to love women and vice versa, and can make people bare themselves naked if desired. He is depicted with the face of a leopard and the wings of a griffin."

Now all the looks turned to Sona's flushed face. Finally Akeno spoke, a teasing smile on her face. "Ara ara, make people bare themselves naked? Is that a skill you possess, Kaichou?" She brought a hand up to her mouth. "Fufufu, what is it they say? It's always the quiet ones?"

"I-in any case…" Sona said quickly, doing her best to retain some dignity as she tried to get the meeting back on track. "If that is your only source of information on our families then I can see that you might need some assistance so you aren't wandering blind." Then she turned her gaze to Bell. "Though I'm surprised Bell-san cannot give you the information you need."

"I don't really know much." Bell said with a shake of her head. "Let's just say I'm from the boonies, so I'm not much help."

"I see…" Sona said as she steepled her fingers in front of herself. "Well then, ask your questions, Hyoudou-san, and we will do our best to answer them. After that you can answer some of ours."

"Alright." Issei said with a nod. "Though I will say in advance that I'm not going to be telling you what happened to me during my disappearance."

Sona's face tightened at that, and Rias frowned in displeasure. "May I at least ask why?" The more buxom of the two asked.

"It's simple, really. It is incredibly private and important to me, and while you've been kind enough to me so far, I'm not ready to share those experiences to someone I can't really call a friend just yet." Issei explained calmly as Bell helped herself to some of the cookies on the table, though she carefully kept an eye on everyone.

Rias let out a sigh but nodded in understanding. "I suppose I can see your point. Still, can you at least tell us if whatever happened to you is likely to cause us any trouble in the future?"

"The likelihood of that is close to zero." Issei said firmly. "The circumstances of what happened are very unique, and considering what I did while I was away the odds of it, or anything related to it, happening again are really small. So no, you shouldn't have to worry about that."

"Good." Sona said with a nod of her own. "We'll hold you to that. Hopefully at some point you will feel comfortable enough to share the specifics with us." She adjusted her glasses. "Now then, ask your questions, Hyoudou-san."

What followed was a basic explanation of the supernatural factions with an emphasis on the three Abrahamic powers, since those were the most relevant at the moment, and the evil piece system was explained, which made Issei uneasy, but after the reassurance of the reincarnated devils there that they were happy and had no regrets he let it go.

"Any further questions, Hyoudou-kun?" Rias asked after sipping her tea.

Issei considered before nodding slowly. "Just one. I have other friends and comrades besides Bell that I've been keeping hidden till we'd established who to talk to. They're all getting rather irritated on not being able to leave the house. Do I have your permission to let them wander about as long as they don't cause any trouble?" Bell perked up at that, awaiting the answer eagerly.

Rias and Sona looked at each other, communicating silently in the way old friends do before Sona turned back to Issei and nodded. "As long as they don't cause problems then they can do so. We don't crack down on migrant yokai and such, after all. Are they like Bell-san as well?"

"If you mean are they high pixies like me, then the answer is no." Bell said even as she pumped a fist in happiness.

"I'm sorry, I probably should have asked before, but you said you're a high pixie? How exactly is that different from a regular pixie?" Kiba asked.

Bell puffed out her chest in pride. "High pixies are much more powerful than normal pixies. We've also got more responsibility, being the ones to command groups of pixies in battle and similar situations. You could say we're officers to regular pixies' enlisted."

Absently wondering why exactly put her explanation into military terms the gathered devils nodded in understanding. "Well then, just in case, perhaps it would be best if your friends each had something that identified them as affiliated with you in order to prevent misunderstandings." Sona said.

Issei nodded in agreement. "Sounds reasonable. We'll work something out." He sat back. "So, what would you like to ask me?"

Sona looked at him somewhat sourly. "Most of our questions are useless as you have already stated you won't be answering them."

"...Sacred Gear." Koneko reminded her King between mouthfuls of pocky.

"Ah yes, thank you, Koneko-chan." Rias said with a smile before turning her attention back to Issei. "The fallen angel you encountered yesterday mentioned you have a sacred gear. I'm assuming that's how you were able to avoid her attacks. May I ask what it is?"

Bell tensed and turned to look at Issei, who looked at Rias intently before his gaze shifted to each of the devils present in turn, making them straighten under his scrutiny. Finally he turned his gaze back to Rias and nodded before holding out his left arm, a red and gold gauntlet with a large green gem in the middle appearing from nothing. "This is the Boosted Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig."

Rias' eyes weren't the only ones that were very wide at the revelation, the crimson haired devil licking suddenly dry lips as she looked at the gauntlet. She obviously hadn't been expecting to see one of the legendary Longinus gears in front of her. "I see…"

"That explains why the fallen angel was after you." Sona said slowly as she considered everything. "The Grigori are well known to have an interest in Sacred Gears, Azazel especially, and such a rare one would be sure to grab attention."

Issei let his gauntlet disappear before sitting back in his chair. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Hyoudou-kun, would you by any chance be interested in a power boost and increased lifespan?" Rias asked, smiling sweetly.

One of Issei's eyebrows rose, his face amused as Bell giggled at the offer. "I'm afraid that I can't become a devil, Gremory-senpai."

"Any particular reason why?" She asked intently.

Issei shrugged lightly. "Let's just say I have a vested interest when it comes to my humanity."

Rias pouted. "Even if it would help you with your desire to have a harem?"

Ball laughed at that. "He already has one." Then she leered playfully at the girls in the room, making it obvious she was joking around. "Not that new members with all of your particular… attributes… wouldn't be welcome, of course."

The gathered devils blinked at that information. "He does?" Tsubaki asked, surprised.

"Yep!" Bell said proudly. "I'm his main girl, of course, but he has plenty of others. Who knows, maybe you'll meet them soon." She grinned at them with amusement.

"Anything else?" Issei asked, a smile on his face at Bell's antics and the reactions she got.

Rias and Sona once again glanced at each other before shaking their heads. "I guess that's all." Sona said.

"Please let me know if you change your mind." Rias said, hating the edge of pleading in her voice, yet unable to help it.

Issei raised an eyebrow at her, which made her flush at the realization he'd noticed, but he nodded. "It's very unlikely, but I will." He got up and began making his way to the door, Bell quickly flying over to alight on his shoulder. "I'll see you all in school tomorrow. Have a nice day." Then he left after a chorus of goodbyes.

Sona turned to Rias with a sigh. "Well, that was much less fruitful than I'd hoped."

"Yes." Rias said as she sat back, brooding slightly as she gazed at the door Issei had just walked out of. "At least we found out about his sacred gear. I'm very surprised it's the Boosted Gear."

"Surprised is an understatement, I never thought I'd see a Longinus here at school." Sona said with her arms crossed. "I take it you're going to continue trying to get him into your peerage?"

"As much as I can without irritating him." Rias said with a nod. "I need an edge over Riser, and that gear is exactly it."

"Good luck." Sona murmured. "Something tells me it won't be that easy."

* * *

As Issei and Bell walked away from the Occult Research Club's building they were quiet for a moment before Bell broke the silence. "Well, that was informative."

"It matched up with what Ddraig told us." Issei said in agreement. "It's too bad he wasn't able to tell us about Gremory-senpai and Sitri-senpai before. It would have saved us time if we could have just approached them ourselves."

Bell frowned and poked his left arm. "Geeze, how much longer is that lazy lizard going to be asleep? It's been ages already."

"Considering what he went through it's not too surprising." Issei said. "Still, him being awake would be helpful."

Bell shrugged. "Well, it's not like anything really big is going on at the moment. He can afford to rest a while longer, I guess. In any case, we have more important things to discuss."

Issei turned to look at the high pixie with a raised eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yep!" Bell grinned lecherously. "Which of those girls was the hottest?" When Issei started to laugh her grin widened. "I mean, Did you see the breasts on those two!? Hell's bells!"

"There's a reason I used to masturbate to Gremory-senpai and Himejima-senpai all the time." Issei said in agreement.

"But the Sitri girl has this really attractive, svelte look to her that fits her really well. And Koneko has the whole adorable loli thing going for her. Shinra was pretty good too, not too busty, not too flat." Then Bell nodded to herself. "Alright, I've decided. You're gonna seduce all of them. I want them in your bed by next month."

Issei started laughing, though he didn't exactly disagree with the idea, and the two continued discussing the devils on their way home, each wondering how things were going to change now.

* * *

_**Holy hell, I made it just in time!**_

_**Ironically, working from home is not conducive to writing for me.**_

_**Yes, as you can imagine, my update schedule has been completely upended thanks to the human malware we're all hiding from. I'm now working at home, as stated, but that actually makes writing harder. Not only do I have more distractions, my chair is a piece of shit that I can't lean back against without ending up on the floor, which means I write/work/game hunched over in a way that really screws up my back after only a few minutes. I desperately need a new one.**_

_**In any case, I promised that the stories my patrons chose would be updated before the end of the month, and by the skin of my teeth I've kept that promise. I seriously wanted this to be out weeks ago so I could push out another chapter of Brightest, but…**_

_**In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This is still buildup for what comes next, though I have dropped a few hints here that I wonder if people will catch.**_

_**I don't want to say much more because that brings spoilers, and I want to surprise you all with what I have planned. Still, I'm pretty confident in what I have cooking. I will say certain things from the original version of this story will stay the same simply because I can't see a way of improving them except in the overall quality and polish.**_

_**Also I forgot to tell you all in the last chapter what this story's theme song is going to be. I've had this in mind since before I stopped the original version of this story. The theme song is going to be Pray For Me, from the Black Panther soundtrack. It'll make sense in the future, I promise.**_

_**As always I want to remind you all that you have a say in what I write when you donate to my Pat A Ron. Each dollar you donate equals one vote in the monthly poll I put up. So if you want to see this or another of my stories updated more often, head on over and donate. Obviously this is all voluntary and I don't expect you to do so, but it is immensely appreciated, especially during these times we're in. So that's at Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis.**_

_**Thank you all for reading, please review, and I'll see you next time.**_


	3. Twilight Healing

"_You will never know true peace…" The defeated monster proclaimed, smiling a bloody, fanged grin, eyes glowing ominously. "Not due to a curse, not due to fate, not due to some malevolent manipulation. Ever will you know conflict, with few, brief moments of respite, because of what you are." It laughed mockingly as it got closer to death._

"_And what is that?" Issei asked quietly as he waited for the thing to finally die._

"_Whatever you were before, you are a champion now. A champion of _humanity." _It continued, wanting to make sure Issei understood what it was saying before it finally ceased to be. "One that tries to do the right thing, even for those not under your aegis, such as the gods and demons you've encountered on your travels. And that means, you will never find rest, till either you or humanity end." It's awful grin grew in size. "I can't decide which option I prefer."_

_Issei aimed his gun at the creature's face, having enough and ready to speed it on to its destined afterlife. "Either way, you won't be around to see it." The monster laughed at his words, only stopping once Issei pulled the trigger and ended its life._

* * *

Issei opened his eyes as he woke from the memory, gazing up at the ceiling of his room, seeing the early morning light making its way through the curtains. He took a deep breath before letting it out, the last prophetic words of the thing ringing in his mind. More than he had at the moment they'd been spoken to him, he knew they were the truth now. "Break's over…" He said quietly into the morning stillness.

"Mmm… What did you say, master?" The woman laying beside him, her nude body pressed tightly against his, murmured as she woke, her perfect form shifting and letting him feel her silky skin as it rubbed against his rough, scarred body. She looked up at him drowsily from where her head had been laying on his shoulder, blonde hair tousled attractively as her gorgeous green eyes opened to see him looking down at her.

"It's nothing, Elena." He said softly, taking care not to wake Bell, who was sleeping on a pillow he'd arranged as a bed for her on his desk.

Elena hummed and nuzzled his chest lovingly, kissing one of his scars before resting her chin on his body to continue looking up at him. "You sure? You feel tense. And not in the normal, fun way." He hand snaked down his body and under the sheets, and she smiled wickedly as she took hold of something hard. "Well, not _just_ in that way…"

Issei chuckled lightly. "Just thinking that, considering the recent attack by the fallen and our introduction to the local devils, our time away from any combat is probably coming to an end soon, if it hasn't already."

Elena frowned. "Most likely, yes." She kissed his chest again, lightly nibbling on one of his nipples as the hand under the sheets began to move. "I highly doubt it's anything to worry about, though. I don't think anything we might face here could match what we've already fought. We can handle it."

"Don't get complacent." He told her sternly even as he enjoyed her actions. "We haven't survived this long by underestimating our enemies."

"Yes sir." She said, chastised. She glanced over at the clock and smiled. "It's still pretty early..." She began to slide down his body, making sure to rub her ample chest against it as she did. "Let me help you relax before you have to get up…" She disappeared under the covers, which promptly began bobbing up and down.

Issei chuckled and closed his eyes as he relaxed, enjoying himself while he could.

* * *

Later that day Issei had decided to take a walk through town, something he hadn't done that often due to worrying about Rias' familiar following him everywhere he went. Now that they had an understanding he felt more relaxed about leaving the house, especially since he could let his friends out as well.

He especially wanted to re-familiarize himself with the town in case he needed to fight in it. In his experience it was best to know the terrain you were going to do battle in, and while he'd lived in Kuoh most of his life, his time away had dulled some of his memories.

He was passing one of the local parks when he saw a girl in front of him trip and fall with a cry, the skirt of her dress flying up to reveal pristine white panties.

Even as he memorized the enjoyable sight and thanked his luck that he'd gotten to see it he made his way around in front of the girl as she began getting up, offering his hand to help her. "Are you alright, miss?" He said, not revealing his surprise at the fact that he was currently speaking Italian. He hadn't expected to need his language skill so soon, but the fact that it kicked in automatically meant this girl must be foreign.

When she looked up at him and blinked slightly teary green eyes he saw he was right, her blonde hair and pretty features telling him she was likely European. Considering the language he was speaking it was a safe bet to say she was indeed Italian.

Then he took in the rest of her outfit, which consisted of a nun's habit, a white veil, some simple boots, and a silver cross. That told him all he needed to know.

"Ah, thank you very much." She said sweetly as she took his hand and got to her feet, showing that she was almost a head shorter than Issei was. "You're… speaking Italian, sir?" She asked hopefully once she'd brushed her dress off.

"It's a skill I've picked up, Sister." He said with a smile, slightly surprised she hadn't reacted to his scars beyond a slight widening of her eyes..

"Then, could you maybe help me, sir? I'm a bit lost, and I've had a lot of trouble in this country because I don't speak Japanese that well yet…" She said with a small bow.

"Of course." Issei said gently, already liking this girl a lot. She seemed very nice and innocent, a rarity for him after what he'd experienced during his time away.

"Thank you very much!" She said, delightedly clapping her hands. "This must be a sign from the Lord." She put her hands together and bowed her head as she uttered a brief prayer in thanks. "Oh Lord, thank you for allowing me to meet such a nice man when I was in need. Amen." She then looked up at him, not noticing the way his smile turned sad for a moment before he cleared that away. "Ah, anyway, I'm looking for the local church. I've been assigned there and need to meet with the priest. Can you give me directions?"

"I'll do better than that." He said with a smile. "I'll lead you there myself." With that he turned and gestured for her to come with him.

"Thank you very much!" She said again, quickly falling into step just slightly beside him. "You're very kind."

"It's the least I can do for someone in need." He looked at her as they walked. "My name is Hyoudou Issei."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Issei. I'm Asia Argento… I mean, it's Argento Asia here, right? That means it's Mr. Hyoudou, or Hyoudou-san..." She said, shyly and carefully testing the foreign words on her tongue.

"It's fine." He said, waving her embarrassment off. "Feel free to call me Ise. I don't mind."

"Thank you." She said brightly. "Then please, call me Asia."

"Alright, Asia." He cocked his head slightly. "I'm surprised to hear you've been assigned to the old church. Nobody's looked after it since the last priest left about a decade ago. It's in a pretty sorry state."

"I see." Asia said. "Well, I was told to come here to tend to it. I don't know too much else, Ise...um...san."

Figuring he shouldn't bother telling her not to add the suffix since she seemed to be determined to get it right he instead continued on. "Well, you're going to have your work cut out for you." He smiled at her. "But you seem like a diligent young lady."

"Thank you!" She said again with a happy smile.

As they walked they chatted about things such as how Asia was liking Japan. However Issei briefly paused when he noticed something dark flying not too far away at speed, too large to be a bird. His eyes narrowed but he turned his attention back to Asia before she noticed.

Eventually they reached the old church, which true to Issei's word looked like it had seen better days. The grass was overgrown, the walls had cracks and damage, and the trees surrounding it looked rather ominous. "Well, here it is."

Asia bowed to Issei, a bit too deeply in his estimation, and smiled widely up at him. "Thank you for all your help, Ise-san." She fidgeted a bit, blushing lightly. "Um, would you like to come in and have some tea?"

Issei smiled gently in gratitude. "Some other time, Asia. I have something I need to do now that I've helped you out." At her disappointed look he patted her head. "But I'll stop by some other time to see how you're settling in and we can have some then, okay?"

"Okay!" Asia chirped. She turned and began to walk towards the church. "Have a nice day, Ise-san!"

Issei waved back as she left and, once she had disappeared into the church, walked away before slipping among some trees where he wouldn't be seen. "Gingko."

From among the trees flew what appeared to be a fairy, smaller than Bell, that looked like a young girl with crimson skin and green eyes. She had a lovely face, with some white markings, her black hair tied by some gold tassels. She wore a white chinese outfit that clung to her form and had long sleeves but revealed all of her legs, and had gorgeous multi-colored butterfly wings on her back.

She let out a chirp that sounded like the most beautiful birdsong, waiting for instructions.

"Keep an eye on Asia, the girl I just escorted here. Don't let yourself be seen. If you there's any trouble, come get me as fast as you can. Don't put yourself in danger, though. You're not a fighter." When she nodded in understanding he sighed. "I don't know what it is, but…" He glanced back at the church. "Something seems off."

Gingko chirped again before flying deeper into the trees near the church. Satisfied that Asia would be safe enough, Issei began making his way back into town, intent on hunting down the figure he saw.

* * *

The next morning Issei yawned as he made his way to school. Unfortunately his search for what he thought was the fallen angel that attacked him had proved fruitless, the trail cold after the time he'd spent escorting Asia. Not that he regretted helping the kind nun one bit, he just hoped that the situation wouldn't come back to bite him.

He was taking a detour to school as the city was performing some roadword along his usual route when he was surprised by a familiar voice. "Well now, this is a surprise. Good morning, Hyoudou-kun."

He turned to find Rias and Akeno walking in his direction, apparently taking the same route to school. "Good morning Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai." He fell into step with them easily after a brief glance at their chests. "How are you doing? No further trouble?"

"None except for a Stray Devil that we had to deal with a couple of nights ago." Rias said idly with a smile. "And yourself?"

"No more attacks so far." He said as he smiled back, briefly wondering what she was talking about before he remembered the explanation she and Sona had given him. "Bell and the others are very happy not to be stuck in the house anymore."

"Will we be meeting any of these other friends of yours at some point?" Akeno asked with interest.

"Probably. Most of them are busy exploring and seeing what Kuoh has to offer, but you might see them around. I've made sure to tell them not to make any trouble, but if they cause any you can come to me and I'll discipline them."

"That's good to hear, thank you." Rias said with a nod as she brushed some hair out of her face. "Hopefully this fallen angel situation will be resolved soon. Neither I nor Sona want them in our territory any longer than necessary, since they seem intent on causing trouble that could reignite tensions."

"Well, I thought I spotted one flying around town yesterday afternoon, but I lost them when I went looking due to some… distractions." He said as they neared the school.

Akeno looked at him in amusement. "Was she pretty?" She asked wryly as Rias shook her head with a smile.

"Very much so." Issei responded unrepentantly as they walked through the school gate, much to the shock of the student population, who couldn't believe that the two most popular girls in the entire school would deign to associate with him.

The courtyard went quiet for a few moments as everyone processed the sight of the three of them walking together and apparently chatting amiably. Then the whispers and mutters began.

"What the fuck!?"

"Nooo, what is happening!?"

"Gremory-sama, Himejima-sama, get away from that scum!"

"How dare he sully them with his presence!"

"Y-you don't think he did something to them, do you?"

"If he did, I'll kill him!"

Issei sighed in irritation as Akeno 'Ufufu'd behind her hand in amusement at the reactions they'd caused. He turned to the two girls, smiling with a tinge of exasperated amusement. "Well, I'll talk to you later, I suppose."

"I look forward to it." Rias said with a smile of her own, waving goodbye as Issei made his way to the main school building, easily ignoring the death glares and shocked looks sent his way.

* * *

"How did you do it!?" Matsuda yelled in Issei's face as lunchtime rolled around.

Issei looked up from his bento, annoyed at the loud interruption of his meal by his fellow pervert. "How did I do what?"

"How did you get the Two Great Onee-samas to spend time with you like that this morning?" Motohama asked, adjusting his glasses anxiously.

Issei closed his eyes and counted to ten, pushing down his irritation at his friends' dramatics. "I didn't do anything. They happened to be walking on the same route I was on the way to school today and we talked. That's all."

"LIAR!" screamed Matsuda again. "We know you did something! There's no other explanation!"

"C'mon Ise, why won't you tell us?" Motohama cajoled pleadingly. "If whatever you did worked on the Onee-samas, it'll definitely work on other girls. This could be our chance!"

The girls in class were looking at them with disgust as they listened to the conversation, if it could be called that. "Ugh, like anything they did could get them within ten feet of a girl." "I'd rather be a lesbian than let myself be touched by them."

"Shut up!" Matsuda screamed at them as he whirled around. "Or I'll rape you with my mind!"

Within half a second the temperature in the classroom seemed to drop twenty degrees. Matsuda's eyes barely had time to widen as he felt a murderous aura spring up from behind him before Issei grabbed him by the throat and made him look him in the eyes, which were hard and flinty. "What have I told you…" He began softly and slowly, making the rest of the class shudder. "…about threatening to do something like that to a girl in front of me?"

Matsuda was shaking, blue in the face from fear. Motohama nervously put a hand on Issei's arm, despite shaking slightly as well from the murderous aura Issei seemed to be emanating. "Let him go, Ise. You know he didn't mean it. It's just something he says."

Issei scowled before letting the former jock drop, making him fall on his ass, shaking with fear. "That's not something you threaten anybody with, even if you don't mean it. Got it?" He hissed as Matsuda nodded frantically.

Everybody looked at Issei warily, though the girls were slightly appreciative. Nobody knew why the subject of rape was such a hot button issue for Issei now, but ever since his return he had a zero tolerance policy on it, even from his former friends. There were many theories, but most of them were too dark and uncomfortable for the students to discuss them openly, and nobody was brave enough to simply walk up and ask, even Aika, who usually didn't seem to have any filter or hesitation.

Issei scowled as he looked around at his nervous classmates and picked up his bento before getting up and making his way out of the classroom. "I need some air."

Nobody said a thing, simply witching him leave as Matsuda gasped for breath after what felt to him like a near death experience.

* * *

That night Issei was heading to a convenience store not too far from his house. The sun had set not long before, and the streets were pretty quiet.

He was mostly trying to alleviate his boredom. Bell had left the house to explore Kuoh, taking advantage of the end of her house arrest as much as she could, and having sex with one of his other girls, while appealing, wasn't what he needed at the moment after the memories the little event during his school lunch break had brought up.

He was about to reach the convenience store when he paused, sensing something approaching. Turning he found Gingko flying towards him, looking anxious, something that immediately had him on edge. When she reached him she started trilling rapidly, gesturing in the direction she'd come from.

Issei immediately nodded seriously, eyes hard. "Lead me to her."

Gingko immediately turned and began flying along the streets, making sure the running Issei could keep up with her. As they moved Issei prepared himself for a fight, something he was a bit out of practice with after months of inactivity save for the fallen's attack. Still, his current self should be enough to deal with whatever was menacing Asia.

When he turned a corner he was surprised to see somebody he knew walking in the same direction he was running. "Himejima-senpai?"

The beautiful devil turned, surprised to see him running toward her, apparently following a little red fairy. "Hyoudou-kun? What's wrong?" She asked when she saw how serious he looked.

"I set Gingko here to watch over someone I met yesterday, and she's telling me they're in trouble." He said quickly, said fairy chirping in agreement.

Akeno became serious as well and sped up to keep pace with him as he resumed running. "Indeed? I'm out because we've lost contact with one of our clients and can't teleport to their location."

Issei grimaced. "It might be a coincidence, but…"

"It is exceedingly unlikely, yes." Akeno said with a nod as they followed the fairy. "I believe we're getting close to the client's home."

Sure enough they soon reached a modest house in a normal neighborhood. The fact that Gingko was pointing towards it let them know they were in the right place.

Issei entered first, his eyes searching for any threats. Akeno, entering behind him, was struck by how much he moved like a warrior entering unknown, potentially hostile territory, much like the veteran fighters she'd seen in the Rating Games she'd studied. She revised her estimation of his combat abilities upwards a few notches.

As they walked through the house the strong scent of blood filled their nostrils. They glanced at each other, knowing they were both preparing to find something ugly. "Stay close, Gingko." Issei said quietly, prompting the small girl to hold onto the back of his jacket and press tight to him as she looked around nervously.

It was as they arrived in the living room that they found who they assumed was the owner of the house.

A corpse was nailed to the wall upside down, in a mockery of a crucifixion. The body was covered in slash marks, and blood was pooled on the ground, still fresh, showing this couldn't have happened long ago. On the wall words were written in blood accusing the deceased of consorting with devils.

Akeno approached the body to examine it, face serious, while Issei looked around carefully, keeping an eye out for clues on the identity of the killer as Gingko clung to his back even closer.

"This was recent." Akeno said, peering at the body. "Very recent. I'd say we were only a few minutes too late." She began setting up a communication mandala. "I should contact Buchou and let her know-" She was interrupted by a grunt of pain and the quick, panicked twitter of birdsong, whirling around to find Issei's arm a few inches from her head, blood dripping from a hole that had been punched into it. It only took her an instant to realize that he had intercepted an attack that would have taken her in the back of the head.

"Now why would you go and save the shitty devil like that, huh?" A deranged voice came from a nearby doorway. A white haired young man in what seemed to be his late teens walked into view. He wore clerical clothing consisting of a dark coat over a white outfit. In his hands he held what looked like a gun and the hilt of a sword. His red eyes glittered with madness as he observed them, the insane grin on his face reinforcing the impression. "Though maybe that was best. This way I can have more fun!" He cackled insanely.

Issei moved in front of Akeno, seeming to not notice his wound, eyeing the nutjob warily as Gingko moved away from him to hide behind Akeno to avoid getting in Issei's way. It was Akeno who reacted verbally, however, hissing "Exorcist!" and filling her hands with electricity.

The exorcist grinned. "Freed Sellzen, here to cut you up into itty bitty pieces."

"Why did you kill the person living here, Freed?" Issei growled, not liking the vibe he got from the exorcist one bit. It brought back far too many bad memories.

"Why?" Freed replied, looking honestly confused. "Cause the stupid bastard was consorting with some shitty devils, of course!" He smiled insanely once again, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "Killing devils and the people who contract with them makes me so happy!" He cackled before staring at Akeno with a dark look in his eye. "You're not bad looking for a shitty devil. I know, I'll rape you before I kill you, then I'll rape your corpse while I cut you up!" He laughed again, high pitched and mad.

Akeno's face tightened, baring her teeth at the crazed exorcist, eyes hard. It was Issei who reacted the strongest at those words, however, snarling angrily and stepping forward threateningly, ignoring the blood that continued to escape from his left arm in a steady trickle. "Over my dead body, you crazy fuck."

Freed looked at Issei, as though just now registering his presence once again. "Ooh, okay! That sounds like fun!" He took aim with his gun as the sword hilt he held lit up, creating a blade made out of light. "I'll kill you, then rape her on top of your bloody corpse!"

A gasp suddenly interrupted the brewing conflict and Issei was surprised to see Asia standing in the doorway, not expecting to see her without beating Freed into bloody paste first. Her gaze was riveted on the crucified corpse, trembling, before tearing her eyes away to look at Issei. "Ise-san? W-what…?"

Freed scowled at the nun. "Why did you stop holding up the barrier, you stupid girl?"

Asia flinched but looked at Freed. "F-Father Freed, w-were you the one who k-killed that person?"

The exorcist looked annoyed with the girl's question. "Of course I did, that's what we're here for! Now…" He turned his mad gaze back to Issei and grinned. "I'm gonna kill this devil loving little shit!"

Asia gasped, and to Issei's further surprise she moved in front of him to shield him. "N-no, you can't! Not Ise-san…"

Before anybody could react Freed struck Asia with the butt of his gun, sending her to the ground with a cry. "Stay out of the way, you stupid bitch! I may not be able to kill you on Raynare's orders, but I'll rape you if you try again!"

Issei's eyes blazed with fury at what he'd witnessed and he took a step forward with a snarl as Asia whimpered, ready to tear the priest to pieces. He was only stopped when Akeno put a hand on his shoulder. "Hyoudou-kun, we can't stay.." She held up a hand with a small mandala floating above it that was spinning slightly. "I cast a spell to detect any fallen within a few blocks, since it seems obvious that this madman is working for them. I register four of them, approaching fast. We need to get out of here."

Issei paused and eyed Freed, who was still grinning like a lunatic, waiting for Issei to attack him. "I'm assuming you have a teleportation spell handy?"

"Yes." Akeno said.

"On my mark, then." With that he suddenly burst forward, kicking a chair at Freed, who shot it out of the air. This gave Issei enough time to pick up a decently sized table, displaying greater than average strength as he hurled it at the mad exorcist over Asia's head, who was huddling on the ground, trying to stay out of the way.

As the teleportation circle appeared underneath Akeno's feet Issei grabbed Asia while Freed was occupied avoiding the airborne table, picking the nun up and jumping back into the circle, which activated and took the four away just as a light spear burst through the window and impacted right where Issei had been standing.

Within moments the four had appeared in the ORC's clubroom, where Rias and the rest of her peerage were all waiting. "Hyoudou-kun?" The redhead asked, confused as she saw him standing with Akeno, an unknown girl held bridal style in his arms, one of which was wounded, and a small red fairy peeking out from over Akeno's shoulder.

"Hello, Gremory-senpai." He said as he set the nun down. "Are you alright, Asia?" He asked, concerned.

"Y-yes, thank you, Ise-san." The girl was shaken and took a moment to steady herself before smiling up at him. Then her eyes widened as she noticed the blood trailing down his arm and dripping onto the floor. "Oh no, you're hurt!"

Issei glanced over at the wound, which Gingko was hovering near with a worried look on her face. "It's alright, Asia. I've had worse. It'll be fine in the morning."

The blonde didn't seem to hear him, instead bringing her hands up to the injury, looking focused as she touched the bloody skin. "Heal!" She said determinately, a soothing green light emanating from the two rings she wore, one on each hand. As she focused the wound quickly began closing till it seemed like he'd never been hurt in the first place.

Issei's eyebrows had gone up, and once Asia was done and had stepped back he studied his arm, noting that he didn't feel any more pain and couldn't tell there'd ever been an injury but for the blood and torn clothing. "Impressive. I've seen very few healing abilities as good. If I'd seen more I might not look the way I do."

Asia looked apologetic at that. "I'm sorry, Ise-san. I can't do anything about scars like those."

Issei waved her apology off. "Don't worry about it, Sister. Even if you could remove them, I wouldn't let you."

Before she could ask why Rias spoke once Akeno had finished reporting to her. "That is indeed a very powerful and useful Sacred Gear." She said as she approached, smiling in welcome to the girl. "Hello, Sister. My name is Rias Gremory."

"Ah!" Asia apparently just realized where she was as she flushed a pretty shade of pink and bowed. "Nice to meet you! I'm Asia Argento."

Rias smiled a touch more warmly at the girl before turning her attention to Issei. "Akeno told me what happened. Thank you for looking out for her."

Issei shrugged. "I was happy to. Far be it for me to let a beautiful girl get hurt if I can help it."

There were a few chuckles as Akeno smiled at his words. Then Kiba spoke, looking at Asia with an odd look in his eye. "May I ask what you were doing with what sounds like an excommunicated exorcist affiliated with the fallen? Considering your abilities I can't imagine the Church letting you out of their sight."

Asia's face fell and she looked at the ground, shuffling her feet. "I… That is…"

Issei rested a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't we all sit down and have some of Himejima-senpai's tea before we have this conversation."

"An excellent idea." Rias said as she smiled reassuringly at Asia while Akeno began preparing the tea. "Please relax, Miss Argento. We may be devils, but we mean you no harm. We just want to know why the fallen are in our territory."

Asia nodded and took a seat, looking surprised when Koneko slid a plate of mochi in her direction before smiling gratefully and taking one, nibbling on it experimentally.

Issei turned to Gingko. "Go ahead and head back home and relax, Gingko. You did well today. I'm proud of you."

The fairy smiled widely at the praise before twittering to him and kissing his cheek before heading out the window, which Kiba thoughtfully opened for her. "Another one of your friends?" The boy asked with a smile.

"Yes. That's Gingko. She's a Hua Po, a Chinese tree spirit. She's not really a fighter, but is very good at reconnaissance. I had her watching over Asia to keep her safe. It's how I ended up running into Himejima-senpai tonight."

Asia looked over at him, surprised. "Eh? You had someone watching me?"

Issei nodded. "After we met I felt something was wrong with the situation and wanted to make sure you weren't in any danger. I'm glad I did, otherwise I wouldn't have known anything was happening tonight."

Asia blushed and looked down with a small smile on her face. "Thank you, Ise-san."

Akeno served the tea as Issei and the rest sat down, all of them trying to relax before the coming conversation. After a few minutes Rias turned back to Asia. "Do you feel up to telling us your story now, Miss Argento?" She asked gently.

Asia hesitantly set her teacup down after taking a sip and looked down at her folded hands. For a moment she didn't make a sound, appearing lost in thought, but was brought out of it when Issei rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully before beginning to speak.

She spoke of being an abandoned orphan growing up in a church. How one day she healed a wounded puppy, which was witnessed by church officials. How she was taken to the Vatican and considered a Holy Maiden due to her abilities, with many faithful people brought before her to be healed. How she was happy with her life, being able to heal so many people, following the tenets of the religion she truly believed in. How one day she healed an injured man without realizing he was a devil, and was summarily turned against, everybody saying her powers couldn't be from God if they could heal devils as well. How she was kicked out of the church and left on her own, eventually being found by the Fallen, who took her in, seeing potential in her powers.

Her eyes had filled with tears during her tale, and she wiped them away as she finished. "This is a test God has set before me. He didn't help me because I need to endure it. But I know my faith will be rewarded." She said with conviction, not noticing how the devils around her winced in pain at her words, though they were all too polite to say anything.

"I'm sure it will." Issei said gently, a soft, melancholy smile on his face. Asia smiled back at him gratefully.

Rias gave them a moment, eyeing them both with a smile of her own before sighing regretfully and speaking. "I'm sorry for what you've been through, Asia." She said, glancing briefly at Kiba, who she could tell was not happy after the tale, which had likely brought some unpleasant memories to the surface. Then she refocused on the nun. "I have to ask, though, do you have any idea why the fallen are in Kuoh?"

Asia shook her head as she turned away from Issei to focus on Rias. "I'm sorry, but no. They never told me. I only arrived here a couple of days ago."

Rias sighed before nodding. "Well then, Asia, we need to figure out what to do with you…"

"She's coming with me tonight." Issei said firmly. "My house has a spare bedroom. She can stay there at least for tonight." He didn't notice Asia look at him with grateful surprise, focused on Rias as he was.

The redhead nodded. "If you believe you can protect her from the fallen, Hyoudou-kun, then do so. But it isn't a permanent solution." She turned back to the nun. "Asia, I'd like to offer you a position in my peerage." She noticed Issei's eyes narrow at her and held her hand up to stop him before he got upset with her. "Please relax, Hyoudou-kun, this isn't an entirely selfish offer. I will admit that having someone with such a powerful healing ability in my peerage would be a boon, and that it is definitely influencing my decision at least partly, but there is more to it than that." She turned her focus back to Asia. "If you became a devil of House Gremory then you'd be under our protection. I don't just mean the protection of my peerage, but of all of Gremory. We look after our own. And the fallen should know that. While they have shown themselves to be worryingly reckless, I'd hope they'd be hesitant to attack a member of the Gremory family directly without provocation. You'd also have our support in other ways to achieve whatever goals you have."

Issei relaxed at Rias' words before looking at Asia to see what she thought. The blonde was looking down thoughtfully, her hand clutching the cross hanging around her neck. "I'm not sure…" She said hesitantly. "I mean… can I think about it?"

Rias nodded. "Of course. I understand it would be a big step. Take tonight to think it over, maybe discuss it with Hyoudou-kun. I'll be here when you're ready with an answer, no matter what it is."

Issei nodded and stood up, offering Asia his hand to help her up. "Alright then, we should get going, Asia. It's getting late."

Asia nodded and took his hand, standing up before bowing to the gathered devils. "Thank you very much for the help and the offer." Then she followed Ise out of the room as they said their own farewells.

The two teens walked through the streets of Kuoh in silence, Issei seeming relaxed while he kept an eye out for any threats, and Asia sticking close to him, feeling calmer than she had in months despite recent events, a sensation of safety and protection suffusing her when she was with the scarred boy.

When they reached Issei's house his parents were surprised to find him with a pretty girl. Issei explained that she needed a place to stay for the night and he'd offered her the guest room. The elder Hyoudous weren't exactly going to say no to a girl in need, especially not such a nice and polite one, so they agreed and welcomed the nun into their home. As Asia settled into her temporary room Issei's mother very sternly threatened him not to peep on the girl, or else, looking at him suspiciously when he assured her he wouldn't and headed to his room.

He found Bell waiting for him when he walked in, arms cross and an exasperated look on her face. "Can you ever not get into trouble, boss?"

"We've known each other how long, Bell? You should know the answer to that." He said as he began to undress, slightly amused.

The fairy sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "Here we go again…" He glanced over at him. "Is she at least cute?"

"I'll introduce you tomorrow." He assured her. "Right now I just want to get some sleep."

Bell got up off the bed as he lay down once he was nude before settling her own naked body on his chest. "Fine, fine. Goodnight, boss."

"Night, Bell."

* * *

The next morning Issei introduced Asia to Bell after the nun woke up well after ten, apparently having been exhausted by the previous day's events to the point she overslept. "Asia, this is my best friend, lover, and second in command, Bell. Bell-chan, this is Asia Argento, the girl I told you about."

Asia, dressed once again in her nun's habit, bowed to the High Pixie. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bell-san." She said through her blush at the fact that Issei had called the small woman his lover.

Bell studied the nun with interest, taking in her pretty face and lustrous hair, her beautiful eyes, and her figure. Then she smiled and gave Issei a thumbs up. "I approve." She then addressed Asia, who was blinking at them curiously. "It's nice to meet you too, Asia. I trust that my boss has been taking good care of you?"

Asia nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes."

"And I plan to continue doing so." He said as he grabbed his wallet. "I'm skipping school today and taking Asia out on the town. She needs to relax and have some fun."

As Bell nodded in agreement Asia fidgeted, looking worried. "Ah, no, that's not necessary, Ise-san."

"I disagree. Besides, I already told my parents I was going to stay home and look after you. They didn't seem to mind." They had, in fact, been happy he was being such a gentleman, which they would have never expected of his old self, and encouraged it in their eagerness. He then reached down and took Asia's hand, leading her out of the room. "See you later, Bell."

Bell chuckled as Asia awkwardly tried to wave goodbye as she was pulled along behind him. "Have fun, you two! Don't get into too much trouble!" Then she pulled her phone over as she sat on the bed, laughing lightly to herself.

* * *

Asia followed behind Ise as they walked into town, the scarred teen glancing over at her, taking in the way she fidgeted, obviously unsure of herself. "Relax." He told her. "We're just going to go out and have some fun."

"I've… never really done anything like this before…" She said softly.

Issei smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of things." Then he heard the girl's stomach grumble, which made her stop and put a hand on her belly with a blush. "Let's get something to eat first. Lunchtime isn't that far away, anyway."

A few minutes later found them in a McDonalds with Asia staring intently at the menu. It was obvious to Issei that, not only was the nun unaccustomed to such places, but that she was having trouble with reading the menu. "You need any help?" He asked, watching her.

"Ah, no. I'll manage." And went back to staring at the screens, making the cashier attending them sweatdrop.

After another two minutes Issei simply turned to the attendant. "Sorry. She'll have what I'm having." The attendant nodded and rang him up as Asia slumped slightly, shame faced.

"I'm so ashamed. I can't even order for myself…" The sister moaned piteously to herself.

Issei chuckled and lightly patted her head. "It's okay. Once you get used to Japanese it'll get better." He led her to a seat once they had their food, ignoring the stares they were getting; her for being a very cute, foreign nun, and himself for being a scary looking scarred boy with her.

Issei smiled as he watched Asia take the first bites of her first ever hamburger. She gave him a happy look as she chewed. "It's good! I've never had anything like it before. Thank you very much, Ise-san!" Issei nodded in acknowledgement as he ate his own meal.

After they ate he led her to an arcade and they played games nonstop, from racing games to adventure games, rhythm games and fighting games. Eventually Issei noticed Asia gazing into one of the many crane games along the wall. "See something you want, Asia?"

Asia jerked slightly and looked away. "N-no. It's nothing…"

Issei raised an eyebrow and looked into the game she'd been focused on, seeing several dolls of the popular mascot Racchuu-kun. "Do you want a Racchuu-kun doll, Asia?" The nun looked away, red faced, but gave a hesitant nod. "Alright then, as a gentleman, it's only right I get you one."

Asia looked up, surprised. "E-eh!? N-no, you don't need to do that, Ise-san."

"I want to, Asia. Just wait a bit, this shouldn't take long." He stepped forward and placed his money into the machine. It took a few tries, but eventually he got the doll and presented it to Asia. "Here you go Asia. The first of hopefully many dolls I'll be adding to your collection."

Asia took the doll in her arms, beaming. "Thank you, Ise-san. I'll take very good care of this doll." She looked up at him, smiling happily. "It's a symbol of the wonderful day we spent together. I'll treasure it forever."

Issei found himself smiling at her honest happiness at such a simple kindness. It made his heart lighten in a way it hadn't for some time. "Well, the day's not over yet. Let's keep playing till we can't anymore."

"A-ah, yes, let's!"

* * *

A couple of hours later they were walking down the street, smiling happily. After the arcade they had gone through various shops till evening. It was quite entertaining, especially seeing Asia's amazement at all the things on sale.

"This was a fun day." Issei said, smiling.

Asia nodded happily, still clutching her Racchuu-kun doll to her chest. "I had a lot of fun, Ise-san. Thank you very much!"

The two sat down on a bench in the park they'd first met at and rested their feet. Issei closed his eyes for a few moments, enjoying the breeze and feeling of relaxation. When he opened his eyes, however, he was surprised to see that Asia had tears rolling down her face. "Asia? What's wrong?"

Asia shook her head vigorously as she clutched her doll tighter before looking up at him with a smile on her face even as she continued to cry. "I'm sorry, Ise, san. It's just… this has been one of the happiest days of my life. I had so much fun." She sniffed slightly, reaching up to rub her eyes before turning back to look at some kids playing a short distance away. "When I pass whatever test God has set out for me… I hope I'll have more days like this. I hope my dream will come true."

"Your dream?" Issei asked.

Asia nodded. "I want a friend. I want to go out with a friend and look at flowers, buy books, just… talk…" She sobbed lightly with emotion.

Issei smiled gently and pulled the girl into a hug. "Asia, that dream already came true. I'm your friend now, and we'll do all of that and more. I promise. And soon you'll have many, many more friends who you can enjoy the rest of your days with…"

"B-but why?" She asked, self doubt in her voice as she looked up at him with a desperate hope shining in her eyes. "I-I'm clumsy, and lack common sense, and can't speak Japanese, or know the culture, a-and…"

"And none of that matters." Issei said gently. "If you fall because you're clumsy, I'll pick you up. If you lack common sense, I'll help guide you. If you don't know Japanese or the culture, I'll teach you. Because that's what a friend does."

Asia stared up at him, and tears once more fell from her eyes.. "Y-you'll really be my friend?"

Issei smiled gently. "Of course, Asia." The nun promptly buried her face into his chest, sobbing happily.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen." A haughty voice interrupted them. They both separated and looked up to see a woman in provocative strips of fabric with black wings floating a short distance away.

"R-Raynare-sama…" Asia whispered.

Issei scowled and held Asia protectively as Raynare approached. "You've caused me quite a bit of trouble, running away like that." The fallen angel said as she looked at the two teens. "Be a good girl and come with me before I have to do something nasty."

Asia shook slightly in Issei's arms. "…No, I don't want to go back there. I don't want to be around people who kill other people."

"Stop being so troublesome, you little bitch! Your Sacred Gear is essential for our plan. So you'll be coming back with me." Raynare snarled.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Issei said coldly, eyes narrowed, as he prepared himself for a fight.

"Don't talk to me like that, filth." Raynare snapped. "Don't think yourself my equal just because you managed to scamper about long enough to be saved by the devils. I'm surprised you didn't turn yourself into one in a desperate attempt to survive. Count yourself lucky that I'm not here for you and that killing you now might damage my property." She turned back to Asia. "Come with me now, girl, unless you want someone to get hurt."

"She can't hurt me." Issei assured Asia as she clung to him.

"Arrogance…" Raynare sneered. "Besides which, I don't have to target you. I just have to make you give the girl to me and keep you from running to the devils like a scared child."

"And how do you intend on doing that?".Issei asked coldly, preparing himself to either attack or defend.

Raynare pointed to several points around the park, drawing the two teens' attention to another three black winged figures floating above, unnoticed. "Those are my associates. Give me the girl, or they start attacking the humans on the ground. Once I'm gone, you go straight home, without trying to go to the devils. They'll be watching you, and if you try to go to the devils instead of your house, or leave your house after you reach it before midnight, they will start blowing houses to pieces." She smiled cruelly. "I think even a worm like you can see what his options are…"

Issei's eyes narrowed as he glared at Raynare, doing his best to come up with a plan. He looked down when Asia pulled away from him, her eyes sad. "Asia, don't."

The blonde smiled gently at him. "It's alright, Ise-san." She began walking towards Raynare. "Thank you very much for the fun day. I enjoyed it a lot."

Issei clenched his fist angrily as he watched his friend stand beside Raynare, who set a hand on the girl's shoulder with a sick smile on her face. Then the fallen scowled briefly, and in a moment of spite ripped the plushie from Asia's hands and threw it on the ground. Before Asia could react to that, they had disappeared in a quick teleport.

Slowly Issei stepped forward and bent down to pick the doll up, studying it for damage. Then he glanced at the other three fallen angels, seeing that they were indeed watching him. Eyes hard with a cold, terrible rage, he began walking home quickly, occasionally checking to see if they were indeed following him home.

After cursing himself for not getting Rias's number, he focused on the coming fight, furiously making plans before deciding to be straightforward.

When he got home he was glad to find his parents were out and hurried up to his room. Bell looked up with a smile when his door opened. "So, how did your date go?" She was surprised when he didn't answer and instead headed for the window after setting a slightly dirty doll on his desk, glancing outside. "Boss?" She asked, a bit alarmed.

"There are three fallen angels watching the house." He told her quickly, slipping into a commanding voice that brooked no nonsense which Bell instantly recognized, her face immediately becoming serious as she waited for instructions. "Go out and deal with them before they notice you. They have been ordered to bomb the neighborhood if anything funny happens, so you'll need to take them out before they can react. Then fly as fast as you can to Gremory-senpai and tell her that the fallen have captured Asia and I'm in pursuit to the old abandoned church on the edge of town. Then come meet me there, with or without them."

"Yes, sir." Bell said immediately once the orders were given, flying out of the room, completely focused on her mission.

Issei waited for five seconds before beginning to walk out, opening the door and beginning to run towards the church. Glancing about as he ran he saw three clouds of ash dissipating with the wind.

He ran at a fast pace, but not as quickly as he could go. It galled him, but there were people out on the streets, and running at beyond human speed wouldn't be a good idea. He doubted Rias would be able to erase the memories of a hundred random pedestrians hours after the fact.

Eventually, however, he reached the church as the sun began to set. As he prepared himself to enter and kick Freed and Raynare's asses he saw a teleportation circle appear nearby. He tensed briefly only to relax marginally when the Gremory group appeared with Bell in tow.

"Hyoudou-kun." Rias said with a nod, her eyes blazing. "Bell informed us of what happened. The gall of them to hold the citizens of _my_ territory hostage. They must be punished!" She snapped at the end.

"They will be." Issei said darkly, walking up to the doors of the church and kicking them open.

"Well well well, if it isn't the shitty devil lover!" Freed, who was standing alone in the church in front of the pulpit, said mockingly as they entered. As Issei walked in he noticed that all the devotional symbols in the church had been defaced or destroyed. "And you brought that hot devil and some of her friends. Goody! Which one should I cut up and ra-"

"Bell!" Issei barked, interrupting the mad priest. At his command the High Pixie shot forward like a bullet, slamming into Freed with immense force and sending him flying through the stained glass window behind him like he'd been hit by a Mack truck, silencing him immediately.

"What a pussy." Bell said with a sneer. "I didn't even hit him that hard."

While the devils were blinking at the display Issei marched forward and looked around the church, searching for where Raynare might be. After a moment the devils assisted him, inspecting the church for any clues.

It was Koneko being thorough and picking up the altar that let them know where to go next, as a staircase led underground from beneath it. Issei immediately began making his way down it, Bell following close behind, with the devils going down behind her.

When they reached the bottom they found a large room full of men in robes chanting and bowing ritualistically in front of the large black cross at the other end of the room. Chained to the cross was Asia, a thin undergarment the only thing protecting her modesty as thick black chains bound her almost fetishistically. She looked exhausted and weak. "Asia!" Issei called.

Asia slowly lifted her head to look at him. "Ise-san? You came?"

"What are you doing here?" Raynare demanded from where she stood by the cross. "Where are Dohnaseek, Kalawarner and Mittelt?"

"Ashes." Issei said grimly as the devils began to spread out, getting ready for a fight against the exorcists. "Which is what you'll become if you don't let Asia go."

Raynare sneered at him. "It doesn't matter what you threaten, you're too late. I began the ritual as soon as we arrived. It should be finished."

As she spoke Asia let out a whimper. "I-Ise-san…?" The rings that were her Sacred Gear slipped off her fingers, floating in front of her in a green glow.

"Yes…" The fallen angel said, a sick smile on her face. "Finally, I have it! A Sacred Gear of my own! He will finally love me with this!" She reached out to the rings, which caused a bright light to flash from them. When it faded, Raynare was emitting the green light of Twilight Healing from her hands, Asia's rings on her fingers.. The fallen angel started laughing. "Now, I will finally be one of the supreme fallen angels!"

Issei ignored the cackling fallen and made his way to Asia with Bell watching his back as the devils started fighting the exorcists, beginning to win handily. He proceeded to rip the chains off the cross with strength alone, letting Asia's body down into his arms. He knelt on the ground, holding the girl as she struggled to breathe. "You're going to be fine, Asia."

"I-Ise-s-san…" The blonde whispered, a tear in her eye.

"Humans can't survive once a Sacred Gear has been removed, as they are a part of a person's soul." Raynare said with a smirk as she prepared herself to fight. "The girl is dead. Not that it matters anymore, because soon you will be too."

"Bell."

There was a crunch as Raynare let out a wheezing cry, dropping to the ground with broken ribs from where Bell had punched her in the chest, though Twilight Healing was already repairing the damage. The devils, having dealt with their opponents with ease, approached Issei and Asia as Bell dragged the wheezing fallen closer to her boss.

"Hyoudou-kun, I can save her with an Evil Piece." Rias offered quietly out of respect for the dying girl.

"Thank you for the offer, Gremory-senpai, but that won't be necessary." Issei said as he watched Asia get closer to death.

"You're going to do _that_, boss?" Bell asked, concerned. "As you are now… At least release one."

Issei ignored the fairy, focusing on Asia. "You're going to be fine, Asia. Do you know why?" When she whimpered questioningly, eyes barely open and breaths shallow, he smiled gently and caressed her cheek. "Because you are a truly rare soul, kind and forgiving, without an ounce of hatred even for those who wronged you. All you want are the simple joys of life and to help those you can, no matter who they may be. You are an inspiration, an example humanity should follow, and for that, you are deserving of **SALVATION**."

As he spoke the last word, a blast of light and holy energy flooded the room. The devils flinched at the anathema to their kind, but were shocked when it didn't damage them, but rather empowered them, taking away wounds and aches, and even lifting their spirits. Each of them felt a moment of peace like none they'd ever known, and for that instant their burdens were forgotten, their fears were dispelled, and their hope for the future was strengthened.

When the light faded Asia opened her eyes, blinking up at the smiling Issei. With his help she sat up easily, uncaring that the torn garment she wore exposed a lot of her body, instead focusing on the fact that she felt fine. Better than fine, even, she felt better than she ever had before. Bringing her hands up to her face she saw that her rings were back on her fingers, much to her astonishment, glinting slightly as though happy to be returned to their rightful owner.

"W-what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO!?" They all heard Raynare shout, and they turned to see her staring at her hands, the fingers where Twilight Healing had rested sporting bands of deeply burned tissue where the rings had been. She looked up at Issei before suddenly scrambling away, looking terrified. "What are you!? I don't think even Azazel-sama could do what you just did!"

Issei moved to stand, but just when he was almost to his feet he stumbled, falling to one knee, looking dizzy and glassy eyed. Bell immediately flew over to him, checking on him while tutting to herself even as Asia joined her, looking incredibly worried about Issei. "I warned you, boss." Bell said as she made sure he was responsive. "In your current state, Salvation is just too much. You should have released one."

"Mm'fin…" Issei slurred, trying to stand again only to stumble once more, Kiba moving to catch him before he hurt himself, an odd look on the blonde boy's face.

Rias glanced from Issei to the still gibbering Raynare. Deciding to set the deepening mystery that was Hyoudou Issei aside for the moment she strode over to the fallen angel, an orb of her Power of Destruction appearing in her hand. "I think it's time you were dealt with for good."

Raynare looked up at her, and suddenly she looked… broken. "What is he?" She whispered.

Rias considered the question for a moment before shaking her head. "I think he is what matters. A good man." Then she dropped her power onto the fallen, who disappeared in the ravening energy till nothing was left.

Akeno approached Rias as Koneko moved to support Asia, checking her over for anything wrong as Kiba began leading Issei out of the church with Bell in front in case of any remaining hostiles. "Rias, that was…"

"For later." Rias said before letting out a sigh. "Hyoudou-kun is definitely more than he appears…" She gazed after him, remembering the feeling of that energy and wishing she could experience it again, before looking at her Queen. "Much, much more…" With that the two girls followed after their friends, wondering what this all meant as they observed the stumbling young man covered in scars.

* * *

_**HOLY SHIT, I MADE IT!**_

_**90% of this chapter was completed in the last seven hours. I promised I would have this out by month's end, so I forced myself to write almost non-stop to get it done before bed.**_

_**The spell/grammar check was a bit rushed, so please forgive any issues you see.**_

_**So, this was a big chapter. Asia's introduction, lots of hints for the future, and a deepening mystery. Issei doesn't do things by halves, does he?**_

_**I tried rereading the original version of this chapter before I started work on this, and all I can say is WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!? How did any of you like any of that absolute crap!? I couldn't finish reading it, it was just too badly written. So choppy, and robotic, and… shit! GAH!**_

_**Whatever, that's the point of doing a rewrite. Hopefully this is better and it won't make me cry in despair in the future.**_

_**So, some changes. The flow of the chapter changed as I considered what Issei would actually do when I'm not trying to shoehorn him to stick to the LN's plot beat for beat. This Issei is more confident and used to conflict, so he didn't hesitate to grab Asia. It's also why I had to use the hostage situation to get her away from him. Plus I can see it as something Raynare would do.**_

_**Salvation is different now as well. There's more weight to it than as a simple healing spell like it is in the SMT games. There's a reason for it, and it relates to what Issei went through during his time away. When Issei uses it now, it has meaning. What that meaning is…? You'll see eventually.**_

_**I'm also going to try to incorporate some of Issei's other demons more organically, as shown with Elena's cameo at the beginning of the chapter. You'll be seeing more of her and other demons throughout the fic.**_

_**Since some people keep asking or trying to guess what game I'm using as the basis for this fic I will say it more clearly: None. The SMT world Issei visited was inspired by the games, but it isn't bound to any specific one. When I get to it in the prequel expect to see people and elements from Strange Journey and SMT IV, for example, coexist with those of the Persona games. It's basically my own little SMT world. One that I'm going to explore much further than most of the games ever did.**_

_**On that note, woot to Nocturne Remake!**_

_**I can't think of anything else to say, so I'm going to post this and head to bed after my customary reminder that you can have a say in what I write by donating to my Pat a Ron. Each dollar donated equals one vote in the monthly poll. And now it's set up so that the votes for the losing fics roll over. So if one fic gets 5 votes per month and another gets 2, the 5 vote fic may win one month, but lose its votes, while the 2 vote one will continue to accumulate them till it overtakes the 5 one. Make sense? So if you want Walking the Path to be updated more often, go to Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis and vote.**_

_**Thank you all for reading, please review, and stay safe. Till next time!**_


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